The winners of the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards were announced on Saturday, March 4, 2023, recognizing the finest achievements of American independent filmmakers. Today, Film Independent encompasses a broad community of individuals who appreciate and sustain artist-driven filmmaking.
Congratulations to the Tisch alumni who won an award! This year, 4 alumni won awards for their work across 4 projects. Congratulations to our winners below, See the full list of winners here.
BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to director and producer)
Aftersun
Charlotte Wells '17 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Grad Film), Director
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Given to the best feature made for under $1,000,000; Award given to the writer, director, and producer)
The Cathedral
Ricky D’Ambrose ‘10 (BFA, Cinema Studies), Writer/Director
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Stephanie Hsu ‘12 (BFA, Drama)
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The Someone to Watch Award, now in its 29th year, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.
Nanny
Nikyatu Jusu '11 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film)
*We apologize for omissions. Please send edits or additions to tsoa.alumni@nyu.edu.